Audience: Teacher
Focus Area: English/literacy
Site Media: Word document
Key Features: Oral Explanation of life cycles
Key Support Area: Teaching ideas
Key Outcomes:
TES1.2 Learning to Talk and Listen – Skills and Strategies
RES1.7 Learning about Reading – Context and Text
WES1.13 Learning about Writing – Context and Text
Description:
Students prepare a visual display of stages of a life cycle and explain orally the
development at each stage.
TASK: To explain stages of development in life cycles
Early Stage 1
Context
Students have been investigating Living Things. They have made suggestions about
simple classifications for physical properties of a collection of items. Students have been
looking at a variety of pictures that show living and non-living things. To further develop
students’ knowledge and understanding about the diversity of living things, students are
investigating life cycles.
English K-6 Syllabus Outcomes:
TES1.2 Learning to Talk and Listen – Skills and Strategies
Demonstrates basic skills of classroom and group interaction makes brief oral
presentation s and listens with reasonable attentiveness.
RES1.7 Learning about Reading – Context and Text
Demonstrates an emerging awareness that written and visual texts convey meaning and
recognizes that there are different kinds of texts that serve different purposes.
WES1.13 Learning about Writing – Context and Text
Recognises some different purposes for writing and that own texts differ in various ways.
Content Focus:(from English K-6 Syllabus)
Students will:
 Engage in shared and independent talking activities such as naming, describing
and explaining
 Independently construct simple oral texts for themselves and/or an audience on
familiar topics
 Draw and label a sequence of pictures using their own choice of words.
Teachers will:
 Talk about the different uses of drawing and writing
 Model the construction of texts for a variety of purposes through demonstration
and discussion.
Implications for teaching
Spoken and written explanations need extensive teacher support. They can be scaffolded
using pictures, diagrams and flow charts. Students and teachers can jointly construct oral
and written explanations.
Students should be encouraged to use some technical language where meaning is
understood. Teachers need to check that students understand the technical language they
use. Students should be encouraged to elaborate, after using a technical term. For
example, “This means…..”
Preparation/Materials/Resources
 Transparencies of various lifecycles (see appendix 1)
 Same transparencies cut into stage sections, with some transparent arrows and
labels showing names for stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult)


Photocopies of life cycles cut into stages and placed in an envelope with arrows
and sequence cards 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Sheets A3 paper and glue
Teaching Strategies
1. Explain to the students that they are going to see a diagram of how a frog
grows. Explain that by looking at the pictures we are going to describe what
the pictures tell us.
2. Display OHT 1 (Frog Life Cycle).
3. Describe what the diagram is showing and how it helps to explain the
different stages of the frog life cycle. Use explicit language, for example
general nouns (frogs), action verbs (grows), time conjunctions (first, next).
As you explain draw arrows on the OHT to show the sequence.
4. Show OHT 2 (Butterfly Life Cycle).
5. Explain that this diagram shows how a butterfly grows.
6. Describe what the diagram is showing and how it helps to explain the
different stages of the butterfly life cycle. Use explicit language, for example
general nouns (butterflies), action verbs (grows), time conjunctions (first,
next).
Draw arrows in the diagram to show sequence.
7. Show OHT 3 and explain that this also shows the life cycle of a butterfly. Ask
individual students to explain the life cycle. Reinforce correct usage of
general nouns (butterflies), action verbs (grows), time conjunctions (first,
next).
8. Use OHT 3 cut into stage sections and cut out arrows. Place pieces on table.
9. Invite students to select one piece which shows the first stage of the life cycle
and put onto OHP. Ask students to justify their selection. Ask
Is this the first stage of the life cycle? What comes after?
10. Repeat activity using frog life cycle. Support students as they use specific
language and orally construct explanatory statements.
11. Ask students to work in pairs and jointly construct the life cycles from the
pieces in the envelopes. Ask them to explain each part as they arrange the
diagrams in sequence.
12. When both students have orally explained the life cycle they then paste the
diagrams, arrows and order cards onto A3 sheet.
13. When completed, select students to orally explain their life cycle.
Assessment criteria
Was the student able to provide an oral explanation?
Was the student able to sequence the stages of a life cycle correctly?
Was the student able to work cooperatively with a partner?
Follow up activities
Write simple explanatory sentences for the life cycle of another animal or insect.
OHT 1
OHT 2
OHT 3
OHT 4
OHT5